Sheet feeding control device



April 29, 1941. e. SPIESS SHEET FEEDING CONTROL DEVICE Filed Dec. 3, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet l h JW MUN HHQW WB, r kw Mm HwSHHHWmH r& v RM km 7 msw MM E I Q \sr m a April 1941- G. sPiEss 2,240,423

SHEET FEEDING CONTROL DEVICE Filed Dec. 3, 1938 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 29, 1941.

s. SPIESS K SHEET FEEDING CONTROL DEVICE Filed Dec. 3, 193B 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 In venlor f/mm Allomey APril 1941- G. SPIESS SHEET FEEDING CONTROL DEVICE 5 Sh eets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 3, 1938 In van [or y 07am J? fiwu.

A Ila/we v G. SPIESS SHEET FEEDING CONTROL DEVICE Filed Dec. 5, 1938 April 29, 1941;

5 Shee ts-Sheet, 5

A Home v Patented Apr. 29, 1941 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE sneer resume. common Device Georg Spiess, Leipzig, Germany Application December 3, ms, Serial N aiam I 12 Claims.

Applications have been filed in Germany Demach or the like, or plates of sheet metal or the like, from a flat or fanned-out bank pile into a printing, folding or any other rhythmically or non-rhythmically working machine, in which, on.

the stopping of the working machine, for example the printing machine, the forwarding of the sheets can be interrupted automatically or by hand.

The already known so-called sheet feeders are intended and are suitable only for the individual rhythmic feeding of sheets. On again setting these feeders in operation after a previous stoppage, a very considerable jolt or jerk is caused owing to mass acceleration, which has an extremely unfavourable effect on the pinions and the other moving parts. This jolt or jerk is increased, particularly if the pile device is also actuated, owing to the fact that with a full pile and large sheet sizes considerable weights have to be Germany December 13, 1937 rect feeding of the working material into working machine and further the automatic holding of the material present onthese members.

By the use of the invention, which is possible by means of various devices, for example in a printing machine, it is no longer necessary to relifted or accelerated. A further disadvantage lies in the 'fact that with a faulty positioning of the sheet and the consequent stopping of the printing machine, the individual sheets present on the sheet feeder remain there and also that on the lifting of the sheet feeding means, usually secured to the grid for the purpose of removing the faulty sheet, the remaining sheets are easily displaced into an incorrect position, which necessitates the removal of all the sheets drawn oiffrom the pile. This operation, which causes a considerable loss of time, also frequently dirties and damages the sheets. 7

This invention consists in that on the inter-rut tion of the feeding of the sheet or otherfeeding material not the whole feeding or forwarding apparatus together with its auxiliary devices but only the members serving directly for the forwarding of the material are stopped and slmul-- 'taneously the workingmaterial present on these move the sheets, etc., lying on the feed table on restarting the feeding device, and, moreover, the considerable jolts or jerks of the driving means are avoided and any strain on the moving parts on the setting in operation of the forwarding device is reduced as far as possible. A displacement of the working material present on the feeding device, for example the sheets, is prevented in that these sheets are held thereon by means of any desired number of suitable mechanically, pneumatically or electrically actuated means. Thiscan be effected either before the carrier of the means pressing the sheets against the feeding 20 means is unlocked so as to be raised from the feed ing device, or when the conveyor path or band of the sheet feeder has been stopped by a disengaging device of the feeder co-operating with an air control.

In order that the invention may be fully understood I shall now describe some embodiments thereof by way of example by reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a sheet feeder constructed in accordance with the invention and inx cluding a pneumatic sheet retaining device acting on the under surface of the sheets.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view showing the retaining device of Fig. 1.

Figs. 3 and 4 show modifications of the sheet retaining device.

Figs. 5 and 6 are a side view and a plan respectively of a pneumatic sheet retaining device acting on the upper surface of the sheets.

Fig. 7 is a side view similar to Fig. 3 but showing a mechanical retaining device acting on the upper surface of the sheets.

Fig. 8 is a side view of a feeding device for feeding the sheets from a pile.

Fig. 9 is a detail front view showing part of the drive of the feeding device shown in Fig. 8, and

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the mechanism shown in Figs. 8 and 9 in the disengaged position. Fig. 8 is drawn to a larger scale than the remaining figures.

n A sheet feeding apparatus I comprises a machine frame 2, forwarding rollers 3 for feeding bands, not shown in the drawings, a conveyor table 4 with a known side registering device 5 for the sheets i to be printed and a grid I swingable upwardly around a shaft 1. The longitudinal bars 9 of the grid 8 carry suitably arranged rolls, not shown, which press resiliently in anyknown manner on the sheets lying overlapped on the conveyor table 4. A printing machine III is, moreover, shown consisting of a machine frame I with an impression cylinder l2, a known device I 3 for registering the front edge of the sheet 6 to be printed and a known disengaging rod l4 leading to a disengaging device, not shown, for

'wise, on which shaft-is disposed a cam disc |6 against which bears, under the action of a spring,

the upper roll of a two-armed lever l8 rotatable around a pivot pin H. A' control rod IQ for a rotary slide valve is pivoted to the said lever I8. A conduit 2| for pressure air and a conduit 22 for suction air coming from an air-pump 'open into this rotary slide, and two corresponding air conduits 23 for pressure air and 24 for suction air for the device for separating and removing the sheets from the pile 6a, and a conduit 25 opening into the atmosphere lead into the casing thereof. Thevalve 20 is rotatedby the control rod l9 from the cam disc H5 at predetermined time intervals corresponding to the requirements of the aforesaid separating device. The valve 20 can, moreover, be rotated beyond the aforesaid positions, such that the suction air conduit 22 communicates with a conduit 26, which is forked at 260. and is provided on these two forked portions with air nozzles 21, which are inserted through the conveyor table 4. This rotation of the rotary valve 20 to produce suction air at the nozzles 21 for the purpose of automatically holding the sheet 6 on the conveyor table 4 can be effected by hand by unlocking the grid 8, 9 of the sheet feeder I, which s swingalble around the shaft 1, or by hand or automatically from the disengaging rod l4 of the printing machine. For this purpose, at the forward part of the conveyor table 4 is rotatably secured, by means of a bolt, on one or both sides thereof a pawl 28 of which, in the position shown in Fig. 1', its upper arm embraces a pin 29 arranged on the grid 8, whilst to its lower arm is pivoted a. rod 30 to which-latter is pivoted a three-armed member 3|. This member 3| is swingable around a bolt 32 carried by the machine frame 2 and is constructed at its righthand portion as a cam piece, against which is drawn; by means of a spring 35, a double lever 34 rotatable around a bolt 33, to which lever is connected one end of a rod 36. In an elongated slot or hole at the other end of the rod 36 is engaged a pin carried by the aforesaid double lever l8 rotatable around the pivot pin H, the control rod l9 of which, which is pivoted thereto, effects the rotation of the rotary slide 20 into the position in which the conduit 26 with the suction nozzles 21 communicates with the suction air conduit 22. A rod 31 engages, by an elongated hole formed therein, the left arm of the three-armed member 3| so as to allow of independent movement of the said member 3| by the rod 39, which rod 31 can be actuated from the disengaging rod l4 of the printing machine through a. pair of hell crank levers 39 arranged one on the machine frame 2 of the sheet feeder and one on the machine frame ll of the printing machine In and coupled together by a rod 36. Moreover, to the left arm of the three-armed member 3| is connected a rod 40, which is adapted tov actuate a brake 42 swingable around a bolt 4| on the machine frame 2, for the purpose of stopping and restarting the sheet feeder l, with a pawl 44 engaged in a notch of a disc 43 rotating with the driving shaft l5.

If, now, by means of the handle 45 the' pawl 28 is swung around its pivot point at the top to the left, so that it frees the pin 29 of the grid 8 to allow of its turning around the shaft 1-, the rod 30 is displaced to the right and thereby the three-armed member 3| is turned in a clockwise direction. The same turning movement also takes place if the disengaging rod I4 is moved upwardly either by hand in the same manner as the .pawl 28, or automatically on the non-appearance of a sheet 6 at the printing machine l0, or if the front sheet lying on the conveyor band is faulty, by the known mechanical disengaging device of the printing machine l0. Owing to the three-armed member 3| being turned in this manner, the lower arm of v the double lever 34 is swung to the right by means of the cam portion of the member 31, and, through the medium of the rod 36, the

double lever l8 and the control rod I9, the rotary slide is turned in a clockwise direction and independently of the control of the rod l9 by the cam disc I6, so that the conduit 22 comes into communication with the conduit 26. In this manner the nozzles 21 of the two forked conduits 26 suck the. sheets, lying overlapping on the conveyor table 4, on their under surface, thereby automatically retaining them on the conveyor table 4. Now, the grid 8 and 9 can be raised up without the sheets lying on the conveyor band 4 undergoing any displacement during the removal of the front faulty sheet. The aforesaid moving parts return into the position shown in the drawings on the turning down of the grid 6 and 3 on to the conveyor table 4. and the locking-of the grid by the pawl 26 swinging back into position or on the movement of the disengaging rod l4 by hand or automatically by the mechnical disengaging device of the printing machine, so that the suction air in the nozzles 21 is shut off and the sheets are freed for their further feeding by the sheet feeder towards the printing machine. The nozthedisengaging rod I4.

In the embodiment shown' in, Figs. 3 and 4. which likewise is provided with members acting pneumatically indirectly on the undersurface of the sheets 6 to be fed, for automatically retaining the said sheets on their conveyor table 4, a pawl 46 is rotatably arranged on a pin 41 on one or both sides of the grid 6 of the sheet feeder I, which pawl is furnished with a handle 45 and embraces at its lower end, under the tension of a spring 46, a pin 43 carried by the conveyor table 4. Around the pin 49 is swingable a double-armed lever 66, which carries on its upper arm a pin 52 lying in a recess 5| formed 2,240,428 in the pawl 46 To the lower arm of this lever is pivoted the rod 36, which engages the threearmed member 9| shown in Fig. 1 and arranged on the pin 32 of the machine frame 2, of which member 3| only the upwardly extending arm is shown in Fig. 3. The member must in this case be suitably altered in shape to allow of the necessary swinging out of the double lever 34 for the starting and stopping of the suction air in the forked conduits 26 and the suction nozzles 21. On each side of the conveyor table 4 are secured two bearing arms 53 for transverse shafts 54, on each of which is secured an arm 55, which arms are connected together by a rod 56. In the arm shown on the right hand of Fig. 3 is pivoted one end of a push rod 51, the.

other end of which is pivoted to an arm 56 rotatable on the pin 22. Finally, supporting arms 59 supporting the suction conduits 26 are secured on the transverse shafts 54 and between the front and rear part of the conduits 26, for example to the right of the forwarding rollers 3 shown in Fig. 3, is inserted a flexible pipe for the purpose of enabling the raising and lowering of the front part of the suction air conduit 26 shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

If, now, for example owing to the foremost sheet shown on the left of Figs. 3 and 4 being a faulty sheet, the sheet feeder l is stopped automatically by the mechanical disengagement of the printing machine or if the grid 6, 9 is to be raised from the conveyor path covered with overlapping sheets 6, then firstly by raising the handle 45, the pin 52 of the double lever 56 is swung to the right by means of the recess 5| of the pawl 46, and thereby the rod 36 isdrawn to the left, and by further swinging of the lower arm of the pawl 46 towards the right in Fig. 2, the latter is disengaged from the pin 49. movement, starting the suction in the conduit 26, is transmitted to the push rod 51, so that the supporting arms 59, positively connected b the rod 56raise the conduits 26 with their nozzles 21 up until the upper opening edge or rim thereof, preferably rising somewhat in the feeding direction of the sheet 6 to prevent any jerking of the latter on the nozzles, projects somewhat-above the upper edge of the conveyor table 4. This has the advantage that the second andthird sheets 6, lying in the feeding direction and also lying undulating on the conveyor table 4, are rapidly and certainly sucked and held by the raised suction nozzles 21, so that the foremost faulty sheet can be removed from the conveyor table 4 without any displacement of the subsequent sheets. On the turning down again of the grid all the moving parts return into the position shown and the grid is, by means of the tension spring 48, again automatically locked by the pawl 46 against being raised from the conveyor table 4.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the suction air is started and stopped in a conduit 26 lying with its end portion transversely over theconveyor table 4 of the sheet feeder i, by the disengaging rod l4 in the manner explained in connection with Fig. 1, and the members, automatically holding the working material or the sheet 6 to be printed on the conveyor table 4, are thus directly controlled. Two pipes 66 branch from the end portion of the suction air conveyor table 4, into the space between the longitudinal bars 9 of the grid 8, which pipes 60 each terminate in a piston casing 6|. a piston 62 of 75 which, displaceably arranged therein, carries a longitudinal rail 63 with two suction nozzles 64. The piston 62 is, with the suction air shut off, held in a raised position by means of a compression spring inserted between it and the lower cover of the-piston casing 6|, which is traversed by the piston rod, in which position the suction nozzles 64 are sufliciently removed from the conveyor table 4 and the sheet on it to allow of unhindered passage of the latter. If the feeding of the sheet feeder is interrupted by the disengaging rod I4 according to Fig. 1, and thereby 'the suction air is started in the conduit 26, the I pistons 62 are lowered by the action of the sucautomatically hold fast the sheets lying on the' conveyor table 4. On the re-starting of the sheet feeding, the suction air is again shut-off and the pistons 62 with the suction nozzles .64 return into their raised position shown in Fig. 5 through the action of the compression springs acting on the under side of each piston.

The arrangement shown in Fig. 7 shows a pawl 46 with a handle 45 swingable around a pin 41 carried by the grid 48 and engaging a pin 49 carried by the conveyor table 4. To the pawl 46 is pivoted one end of a rod 65, which is carried at its other end in a sleeve member 66 on the grid 8 surrounding the shaft 1, and is provided at the said end with a roller 61, which engages a curved member 69 swingable around a stationary pin 66, the lower arm 10 of which is influenced by a tension spring. On two transverse rods H are carried at least two rails 12 arranged in thespace between the longitudinal rods 9 of the grid, to each of which are rotatably secured two bell crank levers 13. The upwardly extending arms of these bell crank levers are connected together by a rod 14 pivoted to the arm 10 of the curved member 69, whilst the other arms of the bell crank levers 13 form the members, indirectly controlled before the raising of the grid 8, 9 by a pertaining part of the sheet feeder I and acting mechanically on the surface of the sheets, particularly the second and third or the following sheet on the conveyor path 4, serving for automatically holding these sheets. Their operation is effected in that, before the raising of the grid 8, 9 by lifting the handle 45, the rod is displaced towards the right against the curved member 69 against the action of a compression spring I5; positively returning the rod with the pawl 46 'into the position shown in the drawings, so that the said curved member is swung and its arm 10 moves the rod 14 to the left, wherebythe horizontalarms of the bell crank levers 13 are pressed on to the sheets lying on the conveyor table 4 and thereafter the pawl 46 is disengaged.

The members for automatically retaining the working materials on their conveyor path can also be controlled directly or indirectly by an electrical device of'any suitable kind, which is per so well known in the art. v

Figs. 8-10 show the two forwarding rollers 3, 3 bridged by a guide plate by which rollers the means of the feed table 4 in overlapped relation or behind one another to a printing, folding or other machine. A shaft I5 is driven from a shaft 16 by means of a pair of bevel wheels 11, on which shaft I5 is freely rotatably arranged a spur wheel 79 with the sleeve 89 of which a bevel wheel Ii is sheets 8.

engagement with a bevel wheel 82. The spur wheel 19 effects through the p'inions 83-86 (Fig.

8) the rotation of the forwarding rollers 3, 3,.

and through the pair of bevel wheels 8|, 82 the rotation of a shaft 81 (Fig. 10). .This shaft serves in known manner for actuating a known sheet feeding device 88, acting on the pile 6a, having blast nozzles 89 for loosening the individual sheets on the pile and suction grippers 98, which are movedupwards for the movement of the sheets upwards, and forwards for conveying them towards the forwarding rollers 3, 3' and the conveyor tabled, as well as reversely rearwardly and downwardly (Fig. 8). .On the shaft I is displaceably arranged a non-rotatable clutch 9|, in a groove 92 of which engages a pin of a bell crank lever 93 (Fig. .8) swingable on a said conveyor device; means operatively associ- I ated with said lever for putting said feeding means into and out of operation; means, operatively associated with said lever, adapted to grip and retain in position any sheets still on said conveyor path when said feeding. means is out of operation; and means for moving said lever to actuate said two last-mentioned means for the purpose specified.

3. In a feeding device of the kind referred to,

the combination of: means including a conveyor bearing of the machine frame 2, to which lever I is pivoted a rod 94. The movement of this rod 94 for. engaging and disengaging the clutch 9| with and from the spur wheel 19 is efiected by an arm 95 mounted on the shaft 32 rotatably carried in the machine frame 2 by means of the lever 3| secured thereto, and a rod 30 pivoted to the latter (Figs. Band 10).

If, as shown in Fig. 10, the clutch 9| is in the disengaged position with respect to the spur wheel 19, then the latter is stopped and at the same time through the'bevel wheels 8|, 82 and the shaft 81' the sheet feeding device 88, and through the pinions 83-46 the forwarding rollers 3, 3 and the feed table 4 are positively putout of operation, that is to say all the parts of the sheet feeder which serve for forwarding the The shaft l5 driven by the constantly rotating driving shaft 16 through the bevel wheel pair TI is, on the other hand, continuously rotated so that the other devices of the sheet feeder, operated from this shaft, such as the pile transport, the rhythm rollers, the mechanical disengaging device, the front and side registration operations and the like remain in operation. The sheets lying on the conveyor table 4 and the forwarding rollers 3, 3' consequently remain in their relative positions and are held in these positions by the means above described and shown in Figs. 1-7, so that the forwarding of the sheets into the working machine on the re-setting in operation of the sheet feeder or its forwarding parts starts and proceeds regularly and properly. This putting in operation is eifected without any sensible jerk to the driving parts, when the rod 30, the levers 3| and 35, the rod 94 and the bell crank lever 33 as well as the clutch 9| attain the position in which the clutch 9| is engaged with the spur wheel I9.

I claim:

1. In a feeding device of the kind referred to, the combination of means, including a conveyor path, for directly feeding sheets from a pile to a working machine; a grid associated with said conveyor path; means for holding said grid in position on said conveyor path; means for releasing said holding means; means, operable by said grid holding means, for putting said sheet feeding means into-and out of operation; and means, also operable on release of said grid holding means, for preventing movement of any sheets present on said conveyor path when said feeding means is out of operation.

2. In a feeding device of the kind referra the combination of: means, including a conveyor path, for directly feeding sheets from a pile to a working machine; a pivoted lever mounted on fordirectly feeding sheets from a pile to a working machine; means for putting said feeding means into and out of operation; suction devices,

' associated with said.conveyor, operable to'grip sheets present on said. conveyor when said feeding means is outof operation; and a common operating lever for actuating said gripping devices and said last-mentioned means.

4. In a feeding device ofthe kind referred to, the combination of: means, including a conveyor, for directly feeding sheets from a pile to a working machine; a' disengageable clutch device for putting said feeding means into and out of operation; pneumatic means, associated with said conveyor for gripping sheets on said conveyor; a rotary slide valve for controlling the supply of suction to said pneumatic means; link mechanism for actuating said rotary slide valve; and common operating means for actuating said clutch device to disengage said feeding means and for actuating said slide valve mechanism.

5. In a feeding device of the kind referred to, the combination of: means, including a conveyor, for directly feeding sheets from a pile to a working machine; a disengageable clutch device for putting said feeding means into and out of operation; pneumatic means, associated with said conveyor for gripping sheets on said conveyor; a rotary slide valve for controlling the supply of suction to said pneumatic means; link mechanism for actuating said rotary slide valve; means .for raising said pneumatic means into, and lowering'it out of, operative position; and common raising means and rotary slide valve for the purpose specified.

6. In a feeding device of the kind referred to, the combination of: means including a conveyor for directly feeding sheets to a working machine; a disengageable clutch device for putting said feeding means into and out of operation; pneumatic means associated with said conveyor for gripping the underside of sheets on said conveyor; a rotary slide valve for controlling the supply of suction to said pneumatic means; a pivoted grid on said sheet conveyor, said grid having a pin thereon; a pawl on said conveyor normally engaging said pin with said grid in operative position; link mechanism operatively connecting said pawl to said clutch device and to said rotary slide valve; and a handle for manual actuation of said pawl, the arrangement being such that, on movement of said pawl, said clutch is disengaged to put said feeding means out of operation, said rotary slide is actuated for controlling said pneumatic means and said grid is released, substantially as described.

'7. A device of the kind referred to, comprising the sub-combination of: a working machine; means, including a conveyor, for directly feeding sheets to said working machine; a disengageable clutch device for putting said feeding means into and out of operation; pneumatic means associated with said conveyor for gripping the underconveyor, said grid having a. pin thereon; a pawl on said conveyor normally engaging said pin with said grid in operative position; link mechanism operatively connecting said pawl to said clutch device and to said rotary slide valve; a handle for manual actuation of said pawl to release said grid and operate said clutch device and said rotary slide valve; and optionally operabl means operable by the disengaging device oi said working n chine also for actuating said pawl, substantially as described for the purpose specififid.

8. In a feeding device of the kind referred to, the combination of means, including a conveyor, having a pin thereon, for directly feeding sheets from a pile to a working machine; a gride associated with said conveyor; a manually operable pivoted lever on said grid adapted to engage said pin on said conveyor; means operatively associated with, said lever for putting said feeding means into and out of operation; and means, operatively associated with said lever, adapted mechanically to grip and retain in position any sheets on said conveyor when said feeding-means is out of operation. 7

9. In a feeding device of the kind referred to, the combination of: means for directly feeding sheets from a pile to a working machine; means for putting said direct feeding means into and out of operation; and means automatically operable on actuation of said last mentioned means, for preventing movement of any sheets in course of being fed, when said feeding means is out of operation.

10. In a feedingdevice of the kind referred to, the of: means including a conveyor pathfordirectlyfeedingsheetsfromapiletoa 40 working machine; a displaceable grid associated with said conveyor path; means for holding said grid in operative position on said conveyor path; means for releasing said holding means; and means operable during release of said grid holding meansfor preventing movement of any sheets present on said conveyor path whilst said grid is in an inoperative position.

11. In a feeding device of the kind referred to, the combination of: means, including a conveyor path, for directly feeding sheets from a pile to a working machine; a displaceable grid associated with said conveyor path; means for holding said grid in operative position on said conveyor path; means for releasing said holding means; and means, operable during release of said grid holding means, for mechanically gripping any sheets present on said conveyor, whereby, when said grid is displaced out of its normal operative position, said sheets are retained in position on said conveyor path for the purpose specified.

12. In a device of the kind referred to the combination of: means for directly forwarding sheets from a pile to a working machine, said means including means for separating and lifting sheets from a pile and for forwarding them to forwarding devices and conveyor mechanism for conveying said sheets from said forwarding devices to the working machine; means for indirectly controlling the feed of said sheets, such as a pile transport device, rhythm rollers, a mechanical disengagin device and a registering guide moving device; common driving means for actuating said direct forwarding means and said indirect control means and means, operable on the faulty feeding of a sheet for disengaging said direct forwarding means only.

GEORG srmss. 

